CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — (CLARKSVILLENOW) A late surge from Austin Peay State University men’s basketball fell just short of erasing an 18-point deficit against UT Martin, Thursday, in an 85-79 loss to the Skyhawks.
The Skyhawks jumped out to a huge lead early thanks in large part to Jacolby Mobley, who finished with a game-high 36 points, including 27 in the first half—part of an efficient (56.7 percent) first half from the floor for UT Martin that put the Govs down 14 at the break.
The Govs began to chip away at the lead early in the second half, cutting it into single digits for good on a Jared Savage three-pointer at the 3:22 mark and within four on a pair of Josh Robinson free-throws with 1:52 remaining. After Robinson and UT Martin’s Chandler Rowe swapped buckets, the Governors were forced to begin fouling with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock and UT Martin converted all four free-throws late to preserve the lead.
Although the rebounding disparity of -11 was not the largest deficit for the Govs this year, UT Martin turned 12 offensive boards into 11 second-chance points, while Austin Peay’s six offensive rebounds yielded just one point on second opportunity.
Austin Peay closes out a season-long four-game homestand and the month of January by hosting Southeast Missouri in a 6:30 p.m., Saturday, contest in the Dunn Center for Military Appreciation Night as well as a celebration of Austin Peay’s Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017.